CA Broadband Task Force Report
In November of 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger established the California Broadband Task Force (CBTF) to advise him on the state's strategy with regards to increasing broadband access and usage. The 21-member bipartisan group, comprised of leaders from the public and private sectors, spent over a year investigating the state of broadband in California in order to make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature. [Note: Task force member Milo Medin, founder and CEO of M2Z Networks, will discuss broadband at Tech Policy Summit in March).
The CBTF published its findings this week in a report titled The State of Connectivity: Building Innovation Through Broadband that touts the economic, environmental and social benefits of increased broadband and proposes steps the state can take to improve its broadband strategy. According to the report, "competing and succeeding in tomorrow's economy requires California to deploy and use an affordable broadband infrastructure that delivers connectivity to all its communities."
The task force undertook a comprehensive project to map availability, adoption and speed rates across the state. It concluded that while California was ahead of other states in broadband deployment, with 96 percent of households having access to wireline broadband, there was still a need to make improvements in other areas to ensure that California leads the way both nationally and internationally.
Other key findings include:
- 1.4 million Californians, mostly in rural areas, lack broadband access at any speed. In particular, the Northern Sierra region is the least connected area of the state, with only 57 percent of households having access to broadband.
- While 96 percent of homes have broadband access, only about 56 percent actually subscribe to broadband at home.
- Broadband pricing in California varies widely, from $14.99/month for the slowest speeds to as much as $261.99/month for top speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps). Prices depend on provider, type of service and bundling deals.
- When it comes to speed, only half of Californians have access to broadband rates greater than 10 Mbps; only 2 percent of the state has access to speeds of 100 Mbps or greater (those figures are based on combining the downstream and upstream speeds).
- Broadband speeds vary greatly by region. For example, 95 percent of residents in Los Angeles can subscribe to speeds of 10 Mbps or higher (combined downstream and upstream), while only 6 percent of Bay Area households are able to do so. That disparity is particularly surprising when you consider that the Bay Area is home to Silicon Valley.
- Tests that measured actual broadband speeds revealed that the majority of California's residential broadband users in 2006 received download speeds of 1 to 5 Mbps, with upload speeds of less than 1 Mbps.
- Better tools are needed to measure actual broadband speeds in the state.
- The state's broadband infrastructure is deployed unevenly, with some areas having state-of-the-art networks while other areas lack broadband altogether.
- Build out the high-speed broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas by introducing new incentives for deployment like state-issued broadband bonds and tax credits for providers, and by improving existing programs like the California Teleconnect Fund.
- Develop a public-private partnership between local governments and broadband providers to endorse a set of permitting standards to make it easier for providers to implement broadband projects.
- Expand the opportunities for Californians to access computer technologies at home and in the community to increase digital literacy, through public awareness, computer donations and training. Approximately 17 to 27 percent of California households do not have a computer in the home, depending on region, and the CBTF proposes that the state work toward a goal of ensuring that every household with a child have a computer and high-speed Internet access.
- Promote innovative uses of broadband technology and wider use of e-government practices by creating a Governor's Broadband Innovation Program and an E-Government Access & Efficiency Program.
- Create a sustainable statewide e-health network that will improve quality of healthcare and increase demand for broadband services.
- Leverage educational opportunities to increase broadband use and provide California students with the skills they need to compete in the 21st century economy.
- Continue the California Broadband Initiative, and create Community Broadband Leadership Councils that will increase statewide leadership to drive broadband deployment and adoption.
For more, you can download an 84-page PDF of the report, or visit the California Broadband Initiative's site. Published January 17, 2008.
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